Crews were cleaning up at a Cypress intersection where oil from an underground pipeline seeped to the surface, forcing the closure of a street.
Crews responded to the spill Wednesday night on Cerritos Avenue near Valley View Street. The oil had been leaking for 13 hours by 11 p.m., according to the Department of Pub
Crews began digging up Cerritos Avenue to locate and cap the source. City engineers described it as a pinhole leak that spewed 15 gallons of oil from a line that had been purged and stuffed with mud almost 20 years ago.
The line is owned by Plains All American Pipeline. Officials say the eight-inch line used to transport oil from Huntington Beach to Long Beach.
Two petroleum providers, Chevron and Plains All American Pipeline, have lines under the area. But the two providers said the oil lines were inactive, according to Orange County Fire Authority.
Hazmat crews arrived to the scene, but authorities said that residents were not in any danger.
A tank was brought in to gather the oil as it came up onto the road. The OCFA was also present to ensure that if the oil caught fire, it would be quickly extinguished.
Crews will remove 75 barrels of soil from around the leak - the equivalent of 3,100 gallons of tainted dirt. It will take days to test the soil for contamination.
Cerritos Avenue just east of Valley View Street was partially opened to traffic by Thursday. Officials say the cleanup and rebuilding the road could take weeks.
Robert Kovacik, Corey Arvin and Annette Arreola contributed to this report.
